Missing in action ... that's what I'm like with my blog these days.  Robin asked me in a comment several days ago (more than a week ago?) how things were going, and still ... I can't seem to get in sync.

so ...

Robin!  Thanks for asking, and sorry so long in responding!  It's been crazy busy, and this season is always that way.  My blog post over on Home Where They Belong should be up in a day or two, and that explains how tired I've been and why.  The short version is that summer, ending school and getting read for camping - camping - coming home from camping is SIMPLY EXHAUSTING!

And you know ... I know you know ... life just does not stop.  You get home and there are a dozen things to take care of right off the bat.

In all though, God is good.  I do have the energy to do so much, though I AM exhausted, I am thankful that I can do what I do.  Do we take decent health for granted?  My daughter is doing well - everything is good with her.  Her husband did a sonogram of their baby ... since he is now an ultrasound tech, he could do that.  Everything looks good!  He just got a job, and it will be a 90 min. commute, but it is a very good job with great benefits.  Including shorter days to make up for the driving time.  I am proud of them.

I babysat the grandchildren today, and my oldest grandchild is in her glory (she's almost 8) because the berries are ripe.  She has grown to look forward to that every year.  I feel so grandmaish, that these traditions are taking hold.  I now have ripe raspberries, gooseberries, black caps and currents.  It is such fun!  No, I don't have it together enough to can or freeze right now - and the crops are too small to do any of that anyhow.  So the kids just strip the berry bushes of any fruit, eating it right off the bush in the sunshine (or rain!).  A childhood memory that I savor as well.

I will survive this summer, and start up school again in the fall.  I am in the last stretch, homeschooling only two now.  My last two.  I'll be making my final decisions on how I'll do this year, in the next week or two.  And of course, I'll probably change everything around after the first two weeks anyhow ...

I do hope to keep up with this blog a bit more now that the "crazy, busy" time is past.  Now I'm just in the "nearly crazy busy" time.

Till next time ...

What's new? 

Well most excitedly right now (drumroll)

I'm going to be a grandma for the 4th time! 

How exciting is that??  A new baby ... being raised by incredible parents who love the Lord and who are homeschooling their children.  My grandchildren are being raised in truth, and that means everything. And there's another one on the way!  Yay!!

My son had surgery - my 17 year old.  That is the first time I've had a child go through surgery.  He had a hernia operation, and another procedure that could have waited but was taken care of since he was going under anyhow.  I am very thankful that he is healing up really well.

We're wrapping up our homeschool year.  It's been a good year, homeschool wise.  We're using Math-U-See, and I feel it has been successful.  I think I have pulled Isaac (9) out of his "don't like to be read to" slump.  Right now we're using an old school reading book "Climbing Higher" and he just really seems to like the stories in there.  To hear him giggling along with the story instead of saying "How much longer ..." is music to my ears.

We've gone to the local zoo for zoo homeschool classes, and sometimes we are the only family - sometimes there are others.  We get hands on with the animals.  Thursday, the Robbie and Isaac each carried a container with a meatball and some catnip up to the Lynx exhibit, and the zoo worker tied the containers up high in the area they climb up to.  We watched them try to get at the containers, which we were assured they would eventually get them down.  The zoo workers call this "enrichment."  I always forget my camera!  I wish I had taken pictures.  Robbie and Isaac have really enjoyed these zoo classes, and especially when animals have been brought out for us to observe and touch.  This has been a really good thing this year.

We've also been reading about current events - particularly the cyclone in Myanmar (Burma) and the earthquake in China.  You can get science and social studies from these events, and it can become a study all it's own - as far as you want to take it.  It makes "understanding governments" much more interesting than reading it from a textbook.  I really think that reading material should have more of a human interest level - how does the government regime affect the people?  Seeing the response from the government in Myanmar is a real eye opener.  Vocabulary - juanta - military government.  We have our local Burmese population, who were heartbroken when loved ones who have been expected to join them in America were hit by this cyclone - and they couldn't even make contact.  And of course, you bring missions into it, and pray for these people.

I've been walking with my sister and brother-in-law through a legal situation that is horrific.  I'm learning a lot about New York State that is truly eye opening - and I must say, when we are commanded to pray for our governing officials (1 Tim. 2:1-4), we'd better take it seriously.  When there's a network of corruption, who do you turn to?  We must pray for our judicial system, for our governing positions, that they be filled with godly men who will deal honestly and fairly.  When you are the one going up before a corrupt system (or someone you care about is), it is suddenly very important.  But shame on us then!  Because we should have compassion on all men, and care about others who have been going before the same corrupt system for years.

My son-in-law just graduated from a school with a degree to practice ultrasound.  He is finished with academics, and has still to finish his clinical - which will be done in early August.  But the ceremony took place last weekend, and we are all very proud of him.  He has spent the past year going to school full time while working full time.  Not an easy year by any means, but it will definitely pay off.  Congratulations Josh! 

It's been quiet this morning as I sit and refect on "what's new."  I turn my thoughts to God, who has been ever faithful.  I praise Him for the new grandchild, and for children and grandchildren who walk in truth.  I praise Him for standing by my son's side as he went through surgery.  I thank Him for a good homeschool year, and the strides I see my younger boys have made this year. 

I turn to Him to pray for a country (Burma) that I am now made aware of a plight of a people who need Him.  I am thankful to know that He loves them much more than I ever could, and as I am called to pray for them, He is faithful answer prayer.  We must pray for our missionaries all over the world.

I also turn to Him to pray for my sister and brother-in-law.  As they stand before Goliath (NYS corruption) I am thankful that God is greater still.  Whatever the outcome, I know that God will work all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.  And my sister and brother-in-law are HIS.

I also know that ALL corruption will cease - I've read the end of the Book.  I look for that day fervantly and expectantly.  Come soon, Lord Jesus.  Even today ...

There's this rumor about Bill and Hill's pastor, who supposedly was convicted of sexual abuse of a child.  It's unreal, and I can hardly believe people's ignorance ... but the fact is that it's CLINTON, NY - not Hillary Clinton.  A "Clinton NY" pastor .... got it?   Go to the link I just provided, and read the article ... then read the comments!  Now, our local newspaper had to do a story just to correct this rumor.

Apparently, more than a few people are running with this, and it even made it on Snopes.com

Well, Clinton NY is near to me, and I know the story well of the pastor who was tried and convicted of sexual abuse of a child.  I'll take this moment here to proclaim his innocence.  See, he had taken these girls in while their mom tried to get off drugs.  The 7 year old was restless, and like he'd done with his own girls, he lay next to her and rubbed her back and legs.  She did not claim he had touched her in very unapproachable places, just rubbed her back and the back of her legs.  He said he'd do the same with his own if their legs were jumpy.

His church members and supporters stand by him 100 per cent as do his daughters.  Of course, innocent until proven guilty does not seem to exist in our great land ... and several people heard the testimony and had him pegged as a pedophile right off the bat.

At any rate, a jury convicted him based on what they decided his motive was for the massage.  Now, understanding his own innocence, and never dreaming it would go where it ended up going in court, he spoke without an attorney in the beginning.  He was horrified that this girl had misread his massage (how much was she coached?), and sad that he had "hurt her."  He agreed that he had stepped over the boundry, as a pastor, just being alone with her.  Professionally, that was off limits.  His words were taken to mean he was "admitting wrong" as in he did have other things in mind.  But that was not what he meant.  He meant he had crossed the line professionally - not morally.

The prosecutor went on to twist his words, and sexualize everything, and the jury was told to decide based on what they felt his motive was.  They decided that he was giving her a massage for sexual gratification.  I'm just incredulous at this - that in America, it really is NOT innocent until proven guilty.  I mean, how do you get "beyond a reasonable doubt" from a jury deciding someone's motive of heart?  He is INNOCENT until PROVEN guilty.  12 people deciding your motive, based on stacked evidence, is not proof.  So the pastor is still innocent (no proof!), though he sits in jail.

This just seems wrong on every level.

Charactor witnesses were not allowed by the judge.  In fact, the judge - according to many there - denied, denied, denied the defense a lot of what they requested.  Everything seemed stacked against the pastor, and now he sits in jail and his wife and daughters wish he were home.  I hope he appeals.

Everything I've ever perceived about our judicial system has turned upside-down.  We live in scary times, and it's not going to get better.

So if you got here thinking you were going to read about Hillary's pastor, think again.  It wasn't Hillary Clinton, it was Clinton NY.  And in our local area, justice is not served.  Pray for Pastor William Procanick and his family, and the church he had to resign from.  May all grow strong in Him, and continue to be faithful 'till He returns. 

My mother was a prayer warrior and a saint.  She loved her children - they were her life.  She prayed for each one daily.  She encouraged us constantly, with "you should listen to this tape" or "this was the scripture that helped me today."

Some of us are going through a particularly difficult time recently, and my mother stepped in briefly.  She passed away in '97, and in reality I know that she is before His throne, worshipping.  But back when, she had written in the front of her "Streams in the Desert" to read a certain page if discouraged.  My sister happened upon it in a very timely manner, and I have no doubt that when my mother jotted that down, it was for "such a time as this."

God is so good, for no comfort would have brought such a strong touch, as that of our mother.  What a lift, truly.  Here is her message below.

Streams In the Desert for April 2

Discouragement

"They looked....and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud."(Exod. 16:10.)

GET into the habit of looking for the silver lining of the cloud and when you have found
it, continue to look at it, rather than at the leaden gray in the middle.

Do not yield to discouragement no matter how sorely pressed or beset you may be. A
discouraged soul is helpless. He can neither resist the wiles of the enemy himself, while
in this state, nor can he prevail in prayer for others.

Flee from every symptom of this deadly foe as you would flee from a viper. And be not
slow in turning your back on it, unless you want to bite the dust in bitter defeat.

Search out God's promises and say aloud of each one: "This promise is mine." If you still
experience a feeling of doubt and discouragement, pour out your heart to God and ask Him
to rebuke the adversary who is so mercilessly nagging you.

The very instant you whole-heartedly turn away from every symptom of distrust and
discouragement, the blessed Holy Spirit will quicken your faith and inbreathe Divine
strength into your soul.

At first you may not be conscious of this, still as you resolutely and uncompromisingly
"snub" every tendency toward doubt and depression that assails you, you will soon be made
aware that the powers of darkness are falling back.

Oh, if our eyes could only behold the solid phalanx of strength, of power, that is ever
behind every turning away from the hosts of darkness, God-ward, what scant heed would be
given to the effort of the wily foe to distress, depress, discourage us!

All the marvelous attributes of the Godhead are on the side of the weakest believer, who
in the name of Christ, and in simple, childlike trust, yields himself to God and turns to
Him for help and guidance. --- Selectred.

On a day in the autumn, I saw a prairie eagle mortally wounded by a rifle shot. His eye
still gleamed like a circle of light. Then he slowly turned his head, and gave one more
searching and longing look at the sky. He had often swept those starry spaces with his
wonderful wings. The beautiful sky was the home of his heart. it was the eagle's domain.
A thousand times he had exploited there his splendid strength. In those far away heights
he had played with the lightnings, and raced with the winds, and now, so far away from
home, the eagle lay dying, done to the death, because for once he forgot and flew too
low. The soul is that eagle. This is not its home. It must not lose the skyward look. We
must keep faith, we must keep hope, we must keep courage, we must keep Christ. We would
better creep away from the battlefield at once if we are not going to be brave. There is
no time for the soul to stamplede. Keep the skyward look, my soul; keep the skyward look!

"Keep looking up --- The waves that roar around thy feet, Jehovah-Jireh will defeat, When
looking up.

"Keep looking up --- Though darkness seems to wrap thy soul; The Light of Light shall
fill thy soul, When looking up.

"Keep looking up --- When worn, distracted with the fight; Your Captain gives you
conquering might, When you look up."

We can never see the sun rise by looking into the west.
--- Japanese Proverb.

I had fun with this.  When I read this article, I immediately thought "Wow!  This whole thing could be rewritten from my perspective, without too many changes!"  The writer of the original article does not understand that he subscribes to a belief, but thinks he's onto "real science" that must be taught to all children everywhere.

So I did rewrite it, from my own perspective.  Thing is, I admit that my perspective is coming from my belief.  HERE is the original article.  Mine is below.

From whence all science flows

Public Schoolers Who Don´t Learn Science Shouldn´t Receive a Diploma

There are many, many things I find dubious about the practice of compulsory education in our public schools.  I wonder how a teacher can possibly provide the individualized education in a mass student setting that a parent can give their own child at home. And I can´t help but think that these public schooled students, of whom there are several million in the United States, are being robbed of a crucial formative experience by not being taught home where they belong, by loving parents, with their options wide open for life, learning and academics. They are being robbed of a crucial formative experience by attending school with other people who are ONLY their age and being forced to interact with a diverse group of peers in a very negative social setting where bullying, drugs, violence and sexual harassment is a constant, not to mention the teachers who are lusting after their students. 

Most disturbing is the virulent strain of the religion of secular humanism that is found in the lessons being taught public schooled children, especially in the United States. ALL public schools teach under the banner of secular humanism, where God is not allowed.  This is no big secret.

The area of study most affected by the secular humanistic bent of compulsory education in the U.S.  is science. The religion of the guy who wrote the textbook might not matter a whole lot when you´re studying geometry or reading Romeo and Juliet, but it comes into play in a big way when you hit high school-level biology. The public schools who get their biology curriculum from secular, humanistic sources are not teaching their children science. They are giving them a religious lesson in secular humanism.

Instead of creation, which IS the keystone of the life sciences from the beginning of time, public schooled students are taught evolution — more or less as described in Darwin’s “The Origin of the Species.”  That somehow by chance, a big bang set off a reaction that was the beginning of life, with virtually no good explanation as to how this came about. Only wild guesses.  From there, life began, and man evolved from pond scum.  When he needed fins to swim, they came along eventually.  It is not explained how survival was possible when evolving from one to the other.  For example, until evolution supposedly fine tuned the disc in the spinal column of a woman, it is unknown how she was able to survive, since she could not keep balance until evolution engineered this change.

Evolution is based upon assumptions, and cannot be tested according to the rules of “good science.”  There are big problems with dating methods that are not discussed.  Evolution has been thoroughly discredited, and evidence that had been used to “prove” evolution has since been found to be incorrect. It isn´t science and it should never be taught as such.

But it is taught as science to millions of children and teenagers all over the country. Worse yet, all public schools are empowered by their state governments to grant high school diplomas to students who have completed the required courses, with more attention paid to the title of a given course rather than the content. How can the education of a student instructed in evolution possibly be considered equivalent to that of one taught legitimate science?  Evolution cannot be legitimate since it cannot be tested, and is only based upon assumptions.

A "Statement of Purpose" of public education so to speak, is given in quotations below:

(all taken from this website)

 *** Happy Birthday to Robinson ***

It's never a good time for a baby to come along.  I mean, life is always happening, and babies take a lot of work, right?  The year I was pregnant for Robinson was an especially difficult year.

We were on a company move, invited to the Rock Hill, S. Carolina area by the company my husband worked for.  My mother was dying of cancer.  I was pregnant for Robbie.  The birth of Robbie would coincide with the date of the company move.  What would we do?  Would he be born here, there, or at some truck stop in-between?

And, would my mother meet him?  Or would she die long before he was born?  If she lived a bit longer, would I be in S. Carolina, having just given birth - and not even be able to make it to her funeral?

It was a terrible time for all of us, but a time of growing in great faith.  My mother was not worried about it.  She never worried.  She just prayed.  And prayed.  She told me every time I came to her "My nurse and I prayed today that Craig would find another job here.  Then you won't have to move.

"Mom, there's nothing.  Nothing."  I mean, my husband was not even really looking.  He'd half heartedly look, but our whole area was going through it's own recession.  There were five houses on our street for sale, and a few major companies had already moved out.

Eventually, we planned that he would move down there without me.  I hated that plan too, but the time was drawing near for the birth, and we hadn't sold our home.  We couldn't buy a home down there without first selling our home here.

Three weeks before the move south, he noticed a job description that he felt he might fit.  At that same time, Robinson was born early.  Just three weeks early, so he was fine.  The day my husband brought us home from the hospital, he shut himself into the office and remade his resume.  I hardly saw him that first day home.  He ran out and got us Chinese food.

Late at night, he was finished with the resume, and faxed it to the president of the company where he "might fit."  First thing in the morning, he got a call at work to come in for an interview.  Three days later he was made an offer.  We ripped the "For Sale" sign out of the ground - me, with tears in my eyes.  It was a surreal moment. 

Because my husband had stayed with the company he was leaving up until the end, he got a "stay bonus" that basically took us out of debt.  The raise he got with the new company put us in a better situation than we had known since we'd been married.  That was 11 years ago. 

There have been peaks and valleys since, but life has not been as desperate as at that time - the time God chose to send Robinson into our home.  The company that my husband went to work for folded a few years ago, and he went to work an hour away from home.

Robinson, came at a turbulant time - but it was HIS time to be born.  It made me think of Mary, riding to Bethlehem on a donkey.  Babies just come when they are ready - not when we are ready.  But it is all to God's glory.

Regardless of the timing, I was thrilled with my new baby - from the time I found out I was pregnant.  I saw all the circumstances around us as an inconvenience - not the baby.  The baby was a gift - a joy.  If only the circumstances would cooperate.

Today Robinson is a light in our home.  He has a kind, loving heart, and cares a great deal about others.  He's pretty good with math, and reads a ton.  We bought him "The Kingdom Series" for his birthday, and can't wait to do them as a read aloud.  We need to finish "Star of Light" first.

I am so glad we homeschool.  To have these "gifts" sent our way, and then put them in such a failing system as our nation's government education system makes absolutely no sense.  Robbie is a joy to have around every single day.  Happy birthday Robbie!

Visit my latest "Home Where They Belong" post:

What Will We Do for School Next Year?

For several years now, I have not liked myself.  It's true.  That sounds harsh, and maybe even a bit new age (gotta find myself - yuck), so let me explain.

Wardrobe.  The baby years.  Feeling like there's no time to shop.  Wearing "whatever."  Never having time to even think.  I used to have clothes that I felt comfortable in.  Clothes that were a style that was feminine, modest, and good.  Then I went to sacks.  That I could nurse in.  Then the Laura Ashley look that had no waist - jumpers.  It has been a long, long, long, long time since I've bought clothes that I shopped for, took time to decide, etc.  Who has time for that?  Not me!

So my daughter gave me a gift card for a clothing store that she felt was "me."  She also says that she doesn't think I've been "me" for some time now.  The store is Coldwater Creek.  OK, I'm back.  I got lost looking at the Outlet section.

My daughter insisted she go with me shopping, and so she did, and it was a first in a very, very , very long time.  So long, that she didn't even know I wouldn't fade out and not be able to even shop at all.  In fact, that was news to me too ... because I don't shop, so I didn't know I had changed either.

It was such a blast.  The first challenge was to actually get into the dressing room.  I usually look at clothes and just think "yeah ... nah ... dont' know ... let's leave."  I actually tried clothes on.  And they actually did look good.  I have not liked modern styles for such a long, long time.

I have an idea that soon, I may recognize myself in a mirror again.  "Hey, I remember her!"  I don't think we should get caught up in styles and shopping.  But I don't think we should let ourselves go either.  I'm kind of excited.

I'm having a small party with my boys, my grandchildren, and another homeschooled family in our church on February 14.  I'm pretty excited about it, because I don't venture out too far to do creative stuff that will be fun for our children - I'm sad to admit that.  So when we step up and do it, it is fun and exciting to plan.  I thought I'd share the details here in case anyone would want to use any of the ideas.

I made invitations and sent them out (only 2 - one per family).  Off white card stock, cut in half and then folded once.  This gave me the card stock for the two invitations.  I am so mad at myself for not taking a photo before mailing them.  Oh, well, I'll take one one of my grandchildens' - they can bring the invitation along.

I printed on red paper (computer printer) "Come Celebrate God's Love."  Then I cut out a heart around the words and glued it on the front of the card.  Inside I had the details (where and when).  Here is the wording for the rest of it:

Make valentines to give to everyone (list of names below).  Each child will be given their own “mailbox” for their valentines to be put into. 

God loves us so much, and He wrote us a love letter (the Bible) telling us all about His love, and about who He is.  Why not share your favorite bible verse on your valentines to each other?

I'm going to read a story called "Secret Valentine" and then talk about how God's plan was a mystery at one time, but it's not a secret anymore (based upon Eph. scripture verse), and how great His love is for us.

Desserts and games, or other fun I have not yet figured out.  I'll let you know how it goes.